Good lookin’ family there, Rafalski.

Errr, Chief.

Great Christmas card!
Your daughter has her Eastons on, and she’s ready to go!

Your wife is a great sport, and your daughter looks like an absolute sweetheart.

Great picture, Chief.  I suggested having one of our daughters wear her Wings jersey for our Christmas pic...my wife said okay but only on the condition that I wear the Christmas dress.  Stupid holidays.

On a completely unrelated note, anyone else hear that Jackman’s out on IR? Happy New Year to our favorite Blues player.

What a shame about Jackman, and too bad for the always pleasant blues fans.

Way to go Chief!  Good lookin family.  And the fact that they put up with your interests with the organ-I-zation is something to be proud of.

Dark picture on FSN.

Dub: My wife asked who Rafalski was. I told her he was a porn star.  She was less than convinced.

W2: She’s a brawler. She dropped those gloves at least five or six times today.

Baroque: regarding my daughter’s sweehteart status, see note to W2.

Slinger:  my second try for a wife who will put up with my Wing “issues.” I think this one’s a keeper.

Dive announcers just said Sakic out for three months with hernia surgery.

Samuelsson’s got something of a knack for coming up with the puck.

That was ugly, Pavel.

Wow, lots of early minutes for the Ellis line.

Interesting post on Downey today Matt.  Hate to lose him, but I guess that’s a possibility.  For those of you who haven’t seen it:  http://onthewingsblog.com/2007/12/27/hurricanes-possibly-seeking-an-enforcer/

The mics must be set in odd locations or something.  The clacking sound of passes hitting sticks is louder than the crowd.

Definitely filling the role of an energy line Pete, and that’s good because the rest of the team is dragging.

Iwo,

I guess we’ll see what happens. Like I said, another injury is definitely a possibility, so the Wings may not be faced with having to waive Downey any time soon.

I just hope Downey doesn’t keep his spot because Zetterberg’s injury turns out to be long term, or something. I like the guy but not that much!

Peter McNabb, Dive toolbag between the benches: “Without question Detroit is the best organization in hockey.”

Paul Stastny in this morning’s Denver Post: “They’re the best team in the league...on paper.”

Man, everything’s going in for Fil now. Crazy that a month ago, he couldn’t finish to save his life.

How did that go in?

Bizarre.

Filppula...still on fire. And Altitude cuts to a skank in the crowd spilling her beer all over another Dive “fan.” Excellent.

Off the defenseman, looks like.

Way to stand him up, Dan! Oops…

Peter Stastney in this morning’s Denver Post: “They’re the best team in the league...on paper.”

I thought that was San Jose?  They look really good on paper, too.

Did they ever say who went to the box for what?

“on paper.”

Uh, yeah.  They’re not too shabby on the scoreboard either.  Dumbass.  Stastney must be kinfolk to Gary (ASS).

Wow, I hadn’t caught that Stastny quote before (or it hadn’t sunk in). Amazing how fast you can lose respect for someone. And to think I wasted precious All Star votes on him (so I could write-in Osgood and maintain an otherwise all-Wing West).

Ellis was int he box, but I’m not sure what for.

It was hooking. Didn’t see it.

Exact quote: 

“It will be a good measuring stick for us,” Avs center Paul Stastny said of tonight’s game. “On paper, they’ve been the top team in the league all year.”

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_7816371

Wow, that was AWESOME. Kronwall is so smooth with the puck.

Sooo pretty. Great work by Kronner, and Fil again… what a machine.

I could have sworn I said Filppula was on fire.

Where was the defense on that one??? Fil was all alone. It was like men’s league.

Ouch. Not so hot, Brian. Cut the angle, Dom!

Baah. Rafalski.

Jesus.  Rafalski.

Brain fart Rafalski.

Defensive zone turnovers, just like last night. The Avs’ll make them pay if they keep throwing it around like that.

You’re right though, Matt. Dom needed to come out and challenge him more. Where’s the insanity?

Not that I really blame him, but Budaj just gave up after the initial shot by Kronwall on that second goal. He looked back, saw Fil there and just stood up. Kind of odd.

Oh my god. Altitude guy. STOP SAYING FILPPULA’S NAME. AUUGH! You’re murdering it!

Decided to take a stroll over to the Dive board.  Thought you all might find this interesting.  The genius just never ends in Denver.

Detroit will be one of the teams playing for the cup @ the end of the season IMO.
Hopefully, we are the other.

http://forums.coloradoavalanche.com/index.php?showtopic=37834&st=100

Uh…

So, I guess they know about some odd realignment plan kept secret from the public, then? 

Oh my god. Altitude guy. STOP SAYING FILPPULA’S NAME. AUUGH! You’re murdering it!

How is he mis-pronouncing it?

And if he messes that up, how badly is he mangling Wolski (Polish is pretty tough, too).

“fil-LOO-poo-luh” or “fid-OO-puh-luh” or something in there. There may have been a lateral alveolar flap in there. I’m not sure.

And this is the intermission report guy, not the announcers… haven’t heard him say Wolski.

Ugh.  I hate it when people toss in extra syllables.

(I bet he pronounces the W like a W instead of a V sound, as he should.)

That is one ugly mustache…

Fuuuck. Lebda/Meech. Not an NHL worthy pairing. Holland, please, a defenseman. Soon.

Filppula officially credited with the first goal and the Wings are sleepwalking through this game. Probably a little harsh as I sense the travel, the layoff and the intensity of last night’s Blues game is all catching up with them.

Ugh.

Meech should never pinch in.

Not a terrible follow-up shift by Lebda there.

there’s the insanity !

I sense the travel, the layoff and the intensity of last night’s Blues game is all catching up with them.

Toss in the high altitude, and this is going to be a tough game for Detroit.

Geez, Hasek - insanity is fine, but not that kind of wandering around!

Hudlers got a cannon when he has the space to use it. Nice one, Huds.

You just know Thommy’s hanging around somewhere, lurking.  Wonder what he’s thinking of Hudler and Fil these days?

Huds! Yuss!

Hudler cracks me up.

He has no idea hwo small he is, and plays with so much spunk.

the Raf/Lils pair has gotten the most IT tonight, 13 minutes. Lids has only 10. Interesting…

hudler + spunk = spuds!

McNabb:  “Patrick Roy beat up Mike Vernon.”

Dammit Pete. Now you’ve got me paranoid. I’m looking for signs of an injury to Lidstrom.

McNabb:  “Patrick Roy beat up Mike Vernon.”

Haha, I had no idea this game would be so funny. That and the Stastny comment…

Spuds?

So now he has the same nickname as a potato? 

The Lidstrom thing is probably more due to matchups, the Avs having the last change, and the Wings’ first period lethargy (couldn’t change on the fly as easily as usual).

So now he has the same nickname as a potato?

yeah, but a feisty one

Hee-hee.  A feisty potato.

Haha. Fil and Dats maintaining pressure while shorthanded. Niice.

I remember getting into a debate with that Checkling Line Eklundite last year about the Wings’ drafting. One of the things I said was that Hudler and Filppula were budding stars. DeGroat denied it. I’d love to re-open that debate today…

Degroat’s a tool.  I’ve been checking on his Dwayne-spawn of a blog the last few days to see what he’d say about the Wings games of late.  He’s been oddly silent.

Who is DeGroat?

There are so many blogs I can barely keep up with the dozen or so that I try to check on regularly - I’m not familiar with that one.

It would be so hilarious if Downey gets a goal.  I bet he would look more shocked than anybody.

Rafalski isn’t having the sharpest game tonight.

DeGroat is an Eklund follower and Blues fan whose hatred of the Wings skipped pathological and borders on the next-worst thing.

Is it just me or was that call bogus?

Not good. PK minus Lidstrom.

Thanks.  There are a lot of names I’m not familiar with.

No Lids, no Cheli on the PK… augh…

Looked like he slipped and was already on the way down when (if) Lidstrom’s stick touched him.

Nice to see Sammy put it away, but what was the ref thinking when he let them haul Datsyuk down right in front of him?

....pheewwwww. Yikes.

Guess that wasn’t a hook on Datsyuk in the Dive zone.  And a goal for Sam.  Hallefrigginglujah. 

Dive announcer:  “The Avs passed this test with flying colors.”

(breathe...breathe...breathe...)

Whew.

Flying colors, eh?

Well, they were skating fast - and their uniforms are certainly colourful.

Jebus if that is your wife let me know what you slipped into her drink to get her to marry you.  Then introduce me to her sister.  Please.  No, really, I mean it.

Avs still delusional.  After the Wings en goal, the CO announcer says “tonight was a big test for the Avs, and they passed with flying colors” - WTF?

Since when is getting another loss hung on you at home by a team missing its first line that is also playing the second of a back to back “passing with flying colors”?  Well, the answer is ‘always’ if you are a delusional Avs fan.

That’s just awesome.  Keep on passing them tests, baby.

Great picture Iwo.
Watched the game with my brother, so no blogging tonight.  Great game.

Your a lucky man Chief—you know, wife, kid, Wings fans too—if you can call being a squid lucky!!!  J/K—thanks for your service both in the navy and your work here too!!  Squid --egad!!!(18th airborne corps—you know the Army/Navy thing).

I know I’m way late here, Chief, but about that photo… that’s you with your two daughters, right???  And your wife must have been taking the picture, right???

bobthezee roflmao*

Sorry so late, Chief, but a “Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year’s!” to you and yours.

Most of all, thank you for your service to our country.